Chiefs can add to Andy Reid’s record of post-bye success vs. Raiders
If there is one thing that Kansas City Chiefs fans have learned over the past eight years, it’s that there’s no better coach in the NFL with extra time to prepare than Chiefs HC Andy Reid.
When the Chiefs take the field against the Las Vegas Raiders on “Sunday Night Football” in Week 11, Reid will be vying for his 19th regular-season win following a bye week. In his 22 years as an NFL head coach, Reid has an 18-3 regular-season record after the bye week. Reid’s success even extends to the playoffs, with a 5-2 record after first-round bye weeks following last year’s Super Bowl-winning postseason.
Something unique about this season is that it marks the third consecutive season that the Chiefs will have faced the Raiders coming off of a bye week. Kansas City has won in each of the past two games with a 40-33 victory in Week 13 of 2018 and a 40-9 victory in Week 13 of 2019. During his time with the Chiefs, Reid’s teams have only ever lost following a regular-season bye week twice. They’ve never lost following a bye week with Patrick Mahomes as the quarterback.
So what’s the story behind Reid’s success post-bye week success?
“I would say that I have good coaches and good players, and I think that is probably it,” Reid told reporters ahead of the divisional playoffs last season. “I don’t know why that has happened. It’s just one of those things, I think.”
Reid will always give credit to others, but the truth is, he’s mastered the art of making the most out of a bye week. Reid and his coaching staff do a great job using the extra time to self-scout. They’ll evaluate the team, coaching, scheme, personnel and make the changes deemed necessary. He also always seems to manage to find the time to put a new wrinkle into the upcoming gameplan. Given the creativity that we’ve already seen from Kansas City this season, that prospect alone should excite the Chiefs Kingdom.
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